A Blaze of Color
by idon'tedit
Summary: One Shot. A moment in time during sixth year shared between Fred and Hermione. What does Hermione do to draw his attention, and what does Fred do to make her forget all about Ron. AU


_**Alrighty here it is. Here is the prize for Renaid. She got to choose a prompt for a Fred and Hermione one shot and this is what she came up with:**_

_**Hermione unexpectedly stumbles upon Fred up to some mischief (no particular timeline, age, and doesn't have to be canon, i.e. Fred could have survived the battle) and covers for him instead of outing him, as he would have expected (since she tends to frown on his brand of fun). In return, he gives her, her first real kiss and makes her wonder if she's been interested in the wrong Weasley all along.**_

_**And this is what I came up with. It's fairly short, but for this particular one shot I think it's the perfect length.  
**_

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"**The first stab of love is like a sunset, a blaze of color..."**

― **Anna Godbersen**

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I hated him, or at least I wanted to. I just seemed terribly unfair that I should spend so much time treading a thin line to make Ronald happy. That I should invest so much time in trying to make that berk realize how much I liked him, and I should be repaired by him practically mounting that, that… well Lavender. He'd never even mentioned her in conversation before today, let alone implying that he liked her. It was just, well rude really. I refused to allow myself to cry over someone with so little care for my feelings or those of anyone else.

The only way I seemed capable of keeping myself from crying over the whole thing was to keep moving. I wasn't even sure where I was going, my feet pounding on the thick stone floors as I strove to put as much distance between Ron and myself. I wasn't thinking of where I was going or what was going on around me, which is why I probably didn't notice that I wasn't alone right away.

I nearly tripped over Fred Weasley before I realized he was there. First my mind latched onto his brilliant red hair, causing a phantom anger to shoot through me before I realized it wasn't Ron in front of me. Then I felt curiosity instead. What was Fred doing down here by himself while there was a party going on in the common room, and where was here. I looked around and saw that my feet had carried me down to a corridor right off the transfiguration courtyard. I quickly went through my mental map of the castle and realized we were not very far from the back entrance to the dungeon corridor, so probably pranking the Slytherins then.

I crept forward trying to get a better look at what he was doing, but once I drew close enough to even try to peak over his shoulder I caught his attention. Fred flipped around quickly and hid whatever had been in his hands behind his back and offered me his classic cheeky grin.

"Hi, how goes it Hermione?" he asked, all bright smiles and distracting winks. "Had a little too much of the Quidditch after party?"

"Something like that," I sighed, my arms crossing over my chest of their own accord. "What about you?"

"Oh, I'm on my way up," he said. "Just on a quick nip to the kitchens first."

"But you've already been up once already," I pointed out, gesturing to his clothing. "You've changed out of your quidditch robes, and I am sure I saw you huddled in the corner with George a while ago."

"You're quite good," he nodded. "Not just at catching me out when I'm up to no good, but also at telling George and me apart. How do you do that? Even Mum gets it wrong occasionally."

"You just look different," I shrugged. "Not terribly so obviously, but I don't think you're completely identical either."

"What's different," he pressed, leaning casually against the wall though it wasn't lost on me that it looked like he was using the open window to conceal whatever had been in his hands.

"Well the bottoms of your ears are a bit bigger than his," I answered honestly. "Your lower lip is just a bit fuller, and your face just a bit thinner. To me you two look like completely different people."

"Don't tell Mum about those things yeah?" he chuckled. "We'd ever get away with anything again."

"Alright," I agreed easily enough. "I won't tell. Just like I won't tell about whatever prank it is your setting up for the Slytherins down here. I'll see you around Fred."

His face looked shocked, but I didn't pay it much head as I turned on my heel and headed back the way I had come. I didn't want to go back to Gryffindor, but I didn't want to rain on his parade either. SO instead of ruining his fun I went in search of an empty classroom I could hide away in. As petty and girly as it sounded, it felt like a nice long sulk was in order.

At this time of night it was unlikely anyone was going to show up in the transfiguration classroom, so despite the fact that it wasn't an abandoned classroom I took my chances and went inside. Professor McGonagall was not the most forgiving teacher, but I doubted she would get very angry with me if al I was doing was sitting in her classroom.

It made sense, from a logical stand point, but when I found myself drawn to her desk rather than any of the tables for the students I broke right through that expectation. I ran my fingers along the smooth wood of her desk, trying to keep my mind from wandering back to Ron's actions and I knew that I was putting myself at greater risk for getting into trouble if she were to wander into her classroom right now. I supposed I could always say I was trying to imagine what it would be like to be a teacher, but honestly it was the furthest thing from my mind. Instead my mind was wandering back and forth between what Ron had done and what Fred was doing. I was torn between masochistically picturing Ron mauling Lavender and trying to imagine what prank Fred was setting up.

In the end it was Fred's actions that drew my full attention. It was part of what he was doing, but mostly I was curious about what I had done. I had just let him carry on. That was very out of character for me really. I couldn't really blamed though could I? I was distracted… and if I was being honest with myself I was upset. I stared at the desk underneath my fingertips, but I was seeing that mischievous smile on Fred's face instead.

"You didn't try to stop me," his voice said, and I thought I was imagining it but when I snapped my head up I saw him standing in the doorway with his hands buried in his pockets. "You didn't tell me off, or confiscate my tricks. In fact you practically encouraged me to keep going. Who are you and what have you done with Hermione Granger?"

"Things change," I said with a shrug, aiming for nonchalance but feeling something well up in my chest.

That was precisely the problem wasn't it? Things changed. What was going on between Ron and I had obviously changed. Or maybe it was me that had changed. I wasn't sure. I supposed that it didn't matter.

"You look sad Granger," he said as he walked slowly toward me. "What happened to put that look on your face?"

"Don't call me Granger," I told him softly as I hoisted myself up to sit on Professor McGonagall's desk. "You sound like Draco Malfoy."

"Well, I endeavor to be nothing like that prat," he said with a laugh, moving closer still. "In fact I am currently endeavoring to cover his smarmy little face in stinksap if all goes according to plan."

"That will be funny," I said, but even I could hear the lack of humor in my voice.

I sounded dull.

"Something has really gotten to you hasn't it?" he asked and he stepped so close to me that he was able to put both hands on the desk one on either side of me. "Why don't you tell ol' Fred who did something to upset our Hermione."

"You're ridiculous," I told him, but he did manage to draw a laugh out of me. "I needed a bit of a laugh though, thank you."

"I did say it in such a way as to make you laugh," he said with a surprisingly somber face. "But I was honestly asking. What happened?"

I met his gaze, and from this close I could see that his eyes were a much brighter blue than I had ever realized. I also realized that this was the closest any man who was not attempting to give me a hug had ever been to me before. In fact if I were to guess I would say his face was just slightly more than six inches away from mine, and for reasons I couldn't quite decipher it made my breath move in and out of my chest a little faster.

"I found out where exactly I sit in the food chain so to speak," I said with another shrug. "I'm not really surprised, and by tomorrow I won't be upset. I just… took a hit to myself esteem was all."

"So, spurned by an idiot boy then?" he said with an empathetic smirk and he stepped impossibly closer insinuating himself between my knees so his entire body was just inches from mine. "So who is the idiot Harry or Ronnykins?"

I could hardly focus on his question as I had the crashing realization that I knew what this reaction in my body was. His close proximity was causing my breathing to increase, my heart to beat faster, a slight film of sweat to break out on my palms, and if I were to look in a mirror I would likely see that my pupils were dilated. I was aroused by Fred Weasley and the way he had invaded my personal space.

"Oh Merlin, I cannot imagine being upset by seeing Harry kiss someone," I said shakily as I drew in a deep breath and began to analyze the scent of his cologne. "He's practically my brother."

"So it was Ron?" he asked and I was too busy enjoying the musky and delicious sent of him to bother with trying to read his facial expression. "My brother always has been an idiot."

"Yeah," I agreed without much thought, unconsciously leaning toward Fred. "OR maybe I've been the idiot. I've been imagining myself infatuated with him, but he's never made me feel..."

"Feel how?" he asked me with a smirk. "What are you feeling right now Hermione?"

A soft sigh was the only way I could answer him because he chose the moment he stopped speaking to be the exact moment that he took his right hand off of the desk and instead carded it into his fingers into my hair while cradling my jaw in the palm of his hand. His hand was warm and surprisingly soft for how much he worked with his hands. It was also dangerously close to my throat where he would be able to feel what he was to me through my pulse.

"Nothing to say?" he said as he came just a bit closer, and I had to bite my lip to keep from making any more embarrassing sounds. "I think I can remedy your injured feelings."

"H-how?" I gasped.

"By settling the score obviously," he chuckled.

And then there was no distance between us. His lips brushed against mine once, twice, three times and I was caught somewhere between shock and desire. The turning point for me was when he started to pull back. I realized in that moment that my life had been in black and white until the moment that his lips had touched mine, and suddenly a burst of color had shot across the sky. I wasn't ready to give that up.

I lurched forward, grabbing onto either side of his face and attacking his lips with ardor. Fred ran his tongue along my bottom lip and I willing granted him access, failing to suppress a sigh at the taste of him. I suspected he'd had a butter beer up at the party before coming down, but beneath that he just tasted so… perfect. I allowed myself another moment to enjoy the taste as well as the feeling of our tongues brushing against one another but then I released him and I leaned back.

I stared at his face, happy to see that he looked affected as well, as I reached up to touch my lips. They were tingling, and the heated feeling he had elicited in me had not faded. If anything Fred had fanned the flames. I wanted to kiss him again, but I wasn't sure I should take liberties. I'd already taken quite the liberty I the way I had perused a deeper kiss, and it had been a hell of a kiss.

"I suppose it isn't completely even really," he said in a husky voice. "I'd have to maul you in front of everyone in Gryffindor for you to be on par with my idiot brother."

"I don't care about him anymore," I said distractedly, letting my hand from my lips but fighting the urge to reach out and grab his hand like I wanted to. "I do care about that kiss though. Why did you kiss me Fred?"

"I kissed you," he said slowly, brushing my hair away from my face, and letting his hands linger on the back of my neck. "Because you are beautiful, and if you insist on knowing you position in the food chain as it were, I want it to be very clear for you that you are miles above Lavender Brown."

And then he was kissing me again. This one was shorter, and did not involve tongue, but it was much sweeter. The way he cradled the back of my neck and gently brushed his lips against mine made me feel cherished. I thought I might melt and slip off the desk into a puddle on the floor when he released me but I managed to stay in a solid human form.

"Don't you dare forget that Hermione," he said as he back away from me.

He walked away leaving me sitting alone in the classroom and I felt like the very foundation of my world had shifted. It wasn't like it was my first kiss, that had been taken care of by Victor Krum at the Yule ball, but it was the first kiss that matter. It was the kiss that had shattered the way I viewed the world. It made me question every thinking I was attracted to Ron. It made me question my own thoughts about my looks and how people felt about me. It made me question why in the hell I wasn't following after him.

"Hey Fred, wait up," I called as I hopped off the desk and ran to catch up with him.


End file.
